Legislators confirm 15-minutes of free parking
OLYMPIA – Brinnon-area residents who want to use recycling bins located inside Dosewallips State Park can continue to do so without having to first purchase a state parks pass. State Representatives Steve Tharinger and Kevin Van De Wege (both D – Sequim) confirmed today that state parks staff will not ticket anyone who parks for up to a maximum of 15 minutes in designated spaces near the bins.
Constituents have been contacting the two legislators via phone and email after word began circulating that anyone wanting to utilize the bins would have to buy a state parks parking pass.
“The legislation creating the new parking pass was supposed to allow for a designated, short-term parking option for these kinds of situations,” Van De Wege said. “When it seemed like people were going to be ticketed, Rep. Tharinger and I asked the Parks Commission for clarification, because that was not the intent of the law.”
When the legislators contacted the Parks Commission, they were told that a 15-minute rule would apply, and assured that anyone just using stopping by to use the bins would not need to purchase a pass.
“We want people to use the recycling bins, and we want it to be convenient and easy for them,” Tharinger said. “The new law was supposed to have some flexibility to allow for something as commonsense as this. I’m glad we got an answer.”
Beginning July 1, all state parks instituted a parking fee per vehicle in order to avoid closing all but a handful of parks in the face of severe budget cuts. Passes are available online, over the phone, or in person from nearly 600 recreational license vendors across the state. Annual or day passes can be purchased.
Although no pass is needed to use the recycling bins at Dosewallips, anyone who intends to park longer than 15 minutes will still have to buy a pass.